UK's Top Crime Agency Is Assembling a Team of Crypto Experts

The U.K.'s national agency for tackling organized crime plans to set up a specialized cryptocurrency and virtual assets team, according to a civil service job posting.

Applicants for the position of "cryptocurrency investigator" are expected to "provide strategic and tactical advice" in investigations and have "strong experience" in running forensic blockchain investigations on serious and organized crime.

The investigative role is part of a project to form a crypto and virtual-assets team, according to the job posting. The National Crime Agency’s unit will start with five officers, Financial News reported on Wednesday.

The move to create a crypto-focused law enforcement team follows a rise in crypto fraud in the U.K. and the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) stationing "crypto tactical advisers" in police departments across the country last year. Last November, lawmakers voted in favor of expanding local authorities' powers to seize crypto tied to crime and terrorist activities.

Read more: UK Crypto Fraud Climbs by a Third to Over $270M: Report